Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-08

ed as renegades throughout the South.
they sougth the advice of my husband,
hoping to receive from him some COM
tort or encouragement, but he could give
none, and would say to those dear friends,
Armlstead, Garnett Pickett and host of
others whom he loved: II can give you
no advice, as | shall not fight upon the
principle of state rights, but for the
Union, whole and undivided, as do not
and will not belong to country formed
of principalities. I cannot sympathize
with you. You must be guided by YOUR
own convictions, and I hope YOU will
make no mistake" * * At that
time was in San Francisco and had
occasion to visit the headq uarters of
Gen. Albert Sidns y johnson, who was in
command on the Pacific coast. He met
me that morning and said, with tears in
his eyes: You are not aware that Gen.
Sumner was among the passengers who
arrived on the steamer this morning, and
who came to me uLannounced, expecting
to catch me In reasonable intentions. /
have not yet seen hIm, but understand
that he has been sent out to relieve me of
my command l replied: General, Won
are morbldly sensitive, / think, and hasty
in your conclusions Il hope that have
been, but why was the generals name
omitted In the passenger list that was
sent by overland mail? If my suspicious
are correct, shall at once resign, and
God knows what then. had intended to
remain where am, and my wife is OPP
posed to my giving up certainty for an
uncertainty Itwas soon known that Gen.
Johnson had resigned"
dramatic scene, one of a thousand
similar ones in those days, is set before
the reader IN the next passage quote:
ga never to-be-forgotten evening was
the one spent at our home by the officers
who were to start upon their overland
trip to the south at II o'clock that night.
Gen. and Mrs. johnson were of the party.
x * * The most crushed was Major
Armistead, who, with tears, which were
contagious, streaming down his face and
hands upon Mr.. Hancock's shoulders,
while looking him steadily in the eye,
said: Hancock, goodbye; you can never
know what this has cost me, and I hope
God will strike me dead if am ever in
duced to leave my native soil, should
worst come to worse Turning to me he
placed small satchel in my hand, re-
questing that it should not be opened ex-
cept in the event of his death, in which
case the souvenirs it contained, with the
exception of little prayer-book intend
ed for me, and which 7 still possess,
should be sent to his family. On the fly
leaf of this book is the following: Lewis
A. Armistead. Trust in God and fear
nothing At the same time he presented
Mr.. Hancock with a new maj or's uniform
saying that he might some time need it.
This particular promotion never came to
him, as he jumped the grades from cap
tain 20 gadier-general. Armistead
died in the way that he prayed for. L,
as well as my husband, believed that he
courted the death that finally came to him
at Getty sburg, for [ have often heard it
related how bravely he came to the front
of the brigade, waving his sword, and
how he was shot through the body and
fell within our lines, asking to be taken
to Hancocks tent. At the same time
my husband had fallen with what was
supposed at the time to be a mortal
wound. Three out of the six from whom
we parted on that evening in Los Angeles
were killed in front of General Hancock's
troops, and others wounded. The or2,,rs
taking US from Los Angeles soon follow
ed.
"When the ship on which they sailed
from San FraE cisco cast anchor in Pana-
ma bay, Captain Hancock went ashore
and got an Eastern paper, which he read
aloud in the ships cabin. Among the
ver-anxious passengers who could not
resist their lmpatience but stood behind
Mr.. Hancock, endeavoring to read beyond
him, was an elderly lady whom We did
not know. Finally she anxiously in
CURED: DO you see anything in that
paper, sir, about my son? Pray tell me,
and relieve my anxiety In response
Mr.. Hancock begged that she would in
form him who her son was. She answer
3D. Gen. B. F. Butler After search, the
announcement came that he was safe.''